TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - China regulatory authorities have approved the $18 billion sale of Toshiba Corp’s chip unit to a consortium led by U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday, without citing sources.

A Toshiba spokeswoman said the company had not confirmed whether there had been any approval by Chinese regulators. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)